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What if the most important room in a school isn’t a classroom, but the one that unlocks every other door to learning?

In schools with well-funded and professionally staffed libraries, student achievement and wellbeing rises – yet thousands of young people still attend schools without one.

School librarianship is a timely and important topic for ½¿É«µ¼º½ readers because it intersects with several pressing educational priorities: literacy development (including reading, information literacy, digital and AI literacy), equity of access to information, inclusive provision, wellbeing, reading for pleasure, and the evolving role of libraries and library and education professionals in a digital age.

This ½¿É«µ¼º½ Blog Special Issue coincides with recent policy initiatives to improve school library access and to encourage reading for pleasure. In September 2025, the government announced a in all primary schools in England, but no such plan exists for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. This commitment is expected to deliver 1,700 new libraries, targeting schools that currently lack dedicated library provision. This is in a context where there is no statutory requirement in the UK or Ireland for school libraries and where a quarter of disadvantaged primary schools in England do not have a library (National Literacy Trust, 2021). School library provision in post-primary schools is in decline and across all UK nations less than half of all schools are managed by a professional librarian (Great School Libraries, 2023). This is against a backdrop of in many areas of the UK and fewer books in the home (National Literacy Trust, 2023).

Access to school libraries across the UK and Ireland therefore remains profoundly inequitable, with children from disadvantaged and rural backgrounds less likely to have access to school libraries, and young people in Northern Ireland are less likely than their counterparts elsewhere in the UK to have access to a school library (Great School Libraries, 2023). This inequity makes the government’s commitment particularly welcome, though questions remain about implementation quality and sustainability and the need to extend such initiatives across the four nations of the UK.

In response to the steep decline in reading among children, young people and adults, 2026 has been designated as the in a UK-wide campaign. According to the latest National Literacy Trust survey, only 32.7 per cent of children and young people in the UK enjoy reading in their free time, the lowest figure recorded since its annual survey began 20 years ago (National Literacy Trust, 2025).

‘School libraries and librarians are uniquely positioned to reignite and strengthen interest in reading among young people.’

School libraries and librarians are uniquely positioned to reignite and strengthen interest in reading among young people. They provide safe, welcoming spaces for pupils to explore wide-ranging materials and develop their reading identities. They champion inclusive practices by curating diverse collections that reflect pupils’ identities and experiences, supporting broader educational goals around social justice and equity. In an era characterised by misinformation and AI-generated content, school librarians teach students how to evaluate sources, navigate digital tools, and become responsible digital citizens. Strong professional collaborations between librarians and teachers ensure that the school library is well positioned to support pupils’ learning in an integrated and meaningful way.

Buy-in from senior leadership is also crucial; principals and senior leadership teams play a key role in integrating libraries into the educational mission of their schools (Ellis, 2024). Good practice from across the UK, Ireland and elsewhere can demonstrate the powerful impact on young people from all backgrounds.

This ½¿É«µ¼º½ Blog Special Issue explores these themes through the diverse perspectives of practitioners, leaders, authors and researchers.

In the first blog post, Gavin Clark and Mark Court offer their perspectives as headteachers in schools where the library has become ‘the heart of school culture’. Their words demonstrate that a successful school library is one supported by school leadership, well resourced, staffed by qualified professionals, and actively integrated into the life of the school community.

In her contribution, Victoria Dilly, CEO of the (SLA), discusses the SLA’s annual awards to recognise excellence in school librarianship. A former award recipient, Lucas Maxwell, writes in his post about engaging young people in reading through creative practices including games and graphic novels.

Cathal Coyle and Kathleen Moran provide an insight into the challenges around school library access in disadvantaged areas across the island of Ireland.

In their post, Paddy Donnelly and Jasbinder Bilan share their perspectives as authors on the transformative power of storytelling in the lives of young people.

Teresa Cremin writes about the importance of volitional reading and how school libraries and librarians can help to facilitate this.

This Special Issue concludes with Sharon Wagg, Jessica Bates and Jayne Finlay looking ahead and making recommendations to empower school libraries, school library staff and teachers to meet the needs of their whole school community.

References

Ellis, D. (2024). Investigating principals’ perceptions of the role of school librarians: A mixed methods study. Journal of Library Administration, 64(2), 119–147.

Great School Libraries. (2023). Equal futures? An imbalance of opportunities.

National Literacy Trust. (2021). The future of primary school libraries.

National Literacy Trust. (2023). Children and young people’s access to books and educational devices at home during the cost-of-living crisis.

National Literacy Trust. (2025). Children and young people’s reading in 2025.